brisbane Keyword
Whynot Street
I’ve been in Brisbane a little over two weeks now. I’ve seen a little bit of the beautiful Sunshine Coast. I’ve been disgusted by the shallow, horrible, skyscraper laden hole that is the Gold Coast. I’ve wandered national parks, explored Brisbane town, gone over the Story Bridge, swam at a fake beach and busked with locals at Nimbin. I’ve even managed to squeeze in a visit to a gaming exhibition. All these things were interesting, nice little experiences. Each memory nicely wrapped in a neat little moment. Stored away, ready to jump out at an inappropriate time to remind me of days gone by.
None of these memories though, will fill me with as much nostalgia as those from Whynot Street. A curious name for a road, yet entirely fitting. Every moment at 38 Whynot Street, West End has been welcoming, exciting, relaxing, fulfilling, intriguing, enlightening and inspiring. I’ve met some of the most wonderful people you can imagine here. I’ve had a chance to hang out with my good friend. I’ve played heaps of guitar. I’ve read far too little of my books. I slept almost an entire day on the couch while the house partied on around me. I’ve fought with the tiny fridge, painted my contribution on the coffee table, played chicken with the temperamental hot water system and listened to the rain falling on the roof day after glorious day.
I’ll never forget the people I’ve met here. Selene, the mexican PHD student. Jamie the flighty, crazy New South Welshman. Antoine, the very cool and very relaxed French uni student. Jess, the arty, fun loving Australian who stole my shed. Julianna, Jamie’s Brazillian better half. The wonderful Frenchies. Tak, the Japanese massage student and of course, the wonderful Tegan and her fantastic, funny and intellectual boyfriend Sam.
I leave this place tomorrow, bound for Sydney on my Odyssey, but for tonight: we party, one last time.
Game On Exhibition
Ok odyssey fans I’ve finally got you real gaming article. Now you can finally shut up about my gaming cred Colin.
Queensland Library hosted “Game On”, an exhibition on the history of Video games which was presented from the 17th Nov, 2008 through to Today. I was lucky to catch it on it’s final day. The exhibition featured old old OLD SKOOL Arcade machines, including classic spacewar cabinents through to today’s current tech with the Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 making an appearance.
Exhibits included pretty much EVERY handheld gaming console, a timeline of working, playable consoles (which included the Sinclair, Magnavox and Famicon) and a mockup of the original Spacewar oscilloscope game that started it all. While I could have done with more information on the games and systems, it was a nice trip down memory lane. Tegan and I were a little disappointed in our own way that Soul Calibur didn’t make an appearance. Me as it’s Dreamcast incarnation is still rated in the top 10 best games of all time by Game Rankings, and her as it’s the only game she can play.
It was cool seeing the Lynx and Game Gear handhelds in all their double A chewing glory and getting an insight into the planning that went into GTA3. It’s just a pity that all of you that haven’t gone to see the exhibit yet have missed out! Fail.
I was unable to take my camera in, due to some bullshit rule, but Tegan went rogue and snuck in her Olympus, taking a few cheeky snaps which you can check out after the break.
Raining Again
Rain seems to be a bit of a theme of my adventures so far. Rain on Australia Day, rain around Sydney and, now that I am in Brisbane, constant rain for the past few days. Not that I’m complaining at all. I love the rain. Sitting on the veranda listening to the drumming rain on the tin is one of the most relaxing experiences in the world. Anyone who thinks that rain is depressing is a little tapped in my opinion.
My friend Tegan has been kind enough to offer me a place to stay in Brisbane. It is a shed out the back of a share house and it is perhaps the most wonderful place I could ever have imagined. The rain falls hard on the roof. I am awakened by the scratching of Bush Turkeys and the purring of Lilou the cat, and the vibe is just great. I have met pretty much the whole house, and we went out drinking last night. Brisbane has a very Perth feel. The city is very young, just growing up. I am looking forward to exploring more in the coming few days.